This invention relates to the manufacture of gaseous mixtures comprising H.sub.2 and CO, e.g., synthesis gas, fuel gas, and reducing gas by the partial oxidation of pumpable slurries of solid carbonaceous fuels in a liquid carrier. In one of its more specific aspects, the present invention relates to an improved burner for such gas manufacture.
Annulus-type burners have been employed for introducing feedstreams into a partial oxidation gas generator. For example, a single annulus burner is shown in coassigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,930, and double annulus burners are shown in coassigned U.S. Pat Nos. 3,758,037 and 3,847,564. To obtain proper atomization, mixing, and stability of operation, a burner for the partial oxidation process is sized for a specific throughput. Should the required output of product gas change substantially, shut-down of the system is required in order to replace the prior art burner with one of proper size. This problem is avoided and costly shut-downs are eliminated by using the subject burner which will operate at varying levels of output while retaining axial symmetry, stability, and efficiency.